Photo: Thinkstock

Bird flu spreads in Europe with a delay after warm autumn

Severe bird flu detected among Antarctic wild birds and mammals for first time

Paris | Reuters -- Bird flu is spreading fast in Europe but arrived later this year after a warm autumn delayed migration of wild birds, the main carriers of the virus that led to the death of millions of poultry in the past years, scientific agencies said on Thursday.


CBOT November 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn, wheat rally to multi-month highs on weather concerns

Meteorologists 'pretty much threw in the towel'

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybean and wheat futures rose to multi-month highs on Wednesday, supported by concerns about crop shortfalls around the globe due to adverse weather in key production areas. “Listening to the meteorologists this morning, they pretty much threw in the towel on any moisture for the dry areas of the […] Read more


Trucks wait for crossing into Poland at the Rava-Ruska border checkpoint in Ukraine’s Lviv region on April 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Roman Baluk)

EU sets Ukraine grain import restrictions in five countries until June 5

Supports pledged for farmers in those countries

Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission said on Tuesday it set restrictions until June 5 on imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to ease the excess supply of these grains in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The EU executive arm said that during that period, Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and […] Read more


Trucks wait for crossing into Poland at the Rava-Ruska border checkpoint in Ukraine’s Lviv region on April 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Roman Baluk)

European Commission to ban Ukrainian grain exports to Romania

Talks ongoing with Ukraine's other neighbours

Bucharest | Reuters — The European Commission will ban Ukrainian grain and oilseeds exports to Romania until June 5, Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea said on Wednesday. Romania has stopped short of enforcing a ban, whereas Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia took unilateral steps to protect local markets from a flow of Ukrainian farm products. […] Read more

EU flags in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. (Jorisvo/iStock/Getty Images)

More grain for European Union in 2023-24, USDA projects

Larger production seen reducing need for imports

MarketsFarm — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) attaché in Madrid is projecting an increase in grain production for the European Union (EU) in 2023-24. In USDA’s Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report released Wednesday, the attaché pegged the EU’s 2023-24 grain production at 284.7 million tonnes, 17.9 million more than this year’s crop which […] Read more